The Chairman, Senate Committee on the Federal Capital Territory, Dino Melaye has joined his voice in condemnation of the arrest and invasion of the residence of some Judges by the Department of State Services.
He said the agency acted outside its core mandate.
According to Melaye, although judges have no immunity and could be tried, the use of DSS by government was “absolutely wrong and unacceptable.”
The position of Melaye, representing Kogi West on the platform of the All Progressives Congress in the National Assembly, was contained in a statement he issued in Abuja.
He said, “I have studied the Act setting up DSS, Nigerian Intelligence Agency and DIA and can conclude that the DSS operatives went outside their core mandate. There is no doubt that many Judges are corrupt.
“It is also important to state the need to sanitise the judiciary of corruption that make Judges not to give commercial rulings which create terrible precedence in our legal system. Judges have no immunity and can be tried and should be tried but the use of DSS is absolutely wrong.
“The DSS operatives, even when they overstretched themselves and conducted investigations on the Judges, ought to hand over their findings to the appropriate institutions of government: the Police or National Judicial Council for prosecution and punishment.
“The rule of law is a core value of governance and therefore must be guided jealousy. Prosecution of civil and corruption cases is not the responsibility of DSS. Internal security is the main duty of the DSS and they should stick to that. God bless the Federal Republic of Nigeria.”
The DSS had Friday night arrested Justice Sylvester Ngwuta (Supreme Court); Justice John Okoro (Supreme Court) and Justice Adeniyi Ademola of the Federal High Court in Abuja.
The DSS also searched the residence of another judge of the Federal High Court, Justice Nnamdi Dimgba, but he was not arrested.
